This is where I admit I have no idea what I’m doing….

For some reason I think that I should be able to spend a night out drinking and still be able to go on a run the next day.

Sadly, I must awknowledge that this is simply not true.

A mere two beers the night before a run cuts my running performance in half, and there is no amount of water, no food, and no amount of white-knucked determination that is going to change that.

Right now I’m running 20 minutes at a stretch, with little walk breaks in between each session. If I have a beer the night before I can maybe start failing at 7 minutes, but I can tough it out for maybe another two minutes.

I decided to run a marathon with no idea at all on how to proceed. I have no idea what to eat, what not to eat, when to run or when to rest. Still, I am out on the streets every day, pounding it out as best I can.

American River College is offering a fitness class called “Marathon Running.” It is a one unit class based on evaluating one’s fitness and attempting a marathon race. The final exam is the completion of a marathon. I enrolled today.

There really isn’t anything that motivates me quite like a letter grade.

I think I’ve decided to quit drinking for the time being, because my sole goal for the rest of this summer is to get myself in a place fitness-wise to not completely fail this class. I do not want to hear the coach say, “I don’t think this class is right for you at this time.”

There are 22 people enrolled at this time, and I will be there until the end.

I’m also enrolled in “Nutrition for Physical Performance.” I’m waitlisted for a chemistry course and an anatomy course as well. I’m terrified of the classes not because I think they will be hard, but because I have no funds lined up to pay for the textbooks and lab fees, and my temp job ended on Friday. I have one more paycheck coming and no prospects yet for a job. I haven’t quite shipped everything I need.